Saturday, February 11, 2012

Runway Review: Costello Tagliapietra Fall 2012

Costello Tagliapietra was my first show of NYFW and the energy was flowing at Milk Studios while The Misshapes were spinning tunes that will get your heart pumping. It was a full house and out of the corner of my eye I spotted Kate Lanphear, my personal style icon and US Editor in Chief of Elle Magazine in the front row along (bottom right photo) with some of the crew from Barneys New York. Things were going to get interesting and a familiar hush filled the room as the lights darkened and the audience prepared themselves to be wowed.
In typical Costello Tagliapietra fashion soft, feminine draping hit the runway in the form of dresses that exude casual ease, elegance and luxury. The prints painted by Jeffrey Costello reminded me of sea anenomes - a bit mystical, quirky and very organic.

The color palette reflects the prints in beautiful and unusual awkward tones of Raisin, Seagreen, Bark, Acid Green, Rust, Steel Blue and Indigo that seem to lend visual movement and compliment the artful draping. It also gives me pleasure to know that the duo wherever possible relies on the eco-friendly AirDye process to dye and print the fabrics in their collection without using a single drop of water
While beautiful dresses are the effortless backbone of the collection, I was also magnetized by separates like the printed skinny pants and the reversible hooded coats that look so easy to wear and comfortable.
While many of the dresses have lots of fabric gathered around the body, it is not without waist emphasis to ensure a feminine silhouette. Most of the looks were pretty covered up but some offered just the slightest sliver of skin for a hint of sexiness that is not in your face.

Fabrics with a contrasting color on either side also made their way into some of the draped jerseys for a fun unexpected pop of color.
My personal favorite pieces were the reversible coat, the rust colored one sleeve dress, the steel blue silk twist dress, the printed brown scarf neck dress, the steel grey/seafoam drape neck halter dress and the cafe colored satin drape neck gown.

As for beauty, it was kept simple with a neutral lip and soft doe eyes that are highlighted in a light pink and steely blue. Hair was kept very clean and lady-like in a low roll bun. For nails a chocolatey burgundy shade was created using Essie Nail Polish.

Overall the collection was focused, glamorous and elegant - what more could a woman ask for?